Notes and Essays on the works of the Ubhaya Vedanta tradition

Aarthi Prabandham

As we pointed out to you in an earlier post, we have been involved in the project of translating Manavala Mamunigal’s original works into English. We have dedicated a separate blogsite for this translation project.

Until now, all the original works of Mamunigal with the exception of Thiruvaimozhi Nootrandhadhi have been translated. With emperuman’s grace and Periya Jeeyar’s blessings, we should be able to complete this too in time for next years Mamunigal Uthsavam.

With this post, we are attaching the ebooks of the translations done so far in PDF format. Feel free to share these works with the broader Srivaishnava community for them to benefit from these efforts.

Arthi Prabandham is said to be Manavala Mamunigal’s swansong before he attained Srivaikuntam. He authored this prabandham solely for salvation-seekers, who, when caught in the quagmire of samsaric afflictions, find themselves unsuitable for performing any of jnana yoga, karma yoga, bhakti or sharanagati. This work comprises verses that are in the form of dialogues, instructions and informational content. In some verses, we see Mamunigal talking to his own mind and in other verses, experiencing alternating fits of love and pain, he seems to be engaging in a conversation with Ramanuja.

The relationship between the individual souls and the Supreme Lord continues from time immemorial. It is for the souls to realize the everlasting continuity of this relationship with the Supreme Self. Subsequent to the initiation ritual (pancha samskara), the soul gets to know of the nature of this relationship in the form of spiritual instructions from one’s immediate preceptor. However, the theoretical knowledge of this relationship alone doesn’t suffice to gain the candidacy required for performing unconditional surrender. The pulls of bondage, which are a result of our previous deeds, can at some times be too strong for us to condition and discipline our mind to practically realize the truth learnt through instructions. It is here that we need the grace of our preceptor to cross the river of bondage.